FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 15, 2002

CONTACT: SID GAULDEN, 803-896-8755

DMV WORKING TO PROCESS REGISTRATION RENEWAL BACKLOG

COLUMBIA – The South Carolina Department of Public Safety’s Division of Motor Vehicles is working to process the vehicle registration renewal backlog that resulted from the division’s conversion to its new computer system earlier this month. DMV officials expect to have the backlog eliminated by the end of next week.

County tax offices across the state handled about 170,000 motor vehicle property tax payments and associated registration renewals while DMV was converting to a new database. DMV could not complete the registration renewal process, which involves issuing and mailing new registration cards and license plate validation decals, while its computer system was being converted.

“All of our customers who paid their property taxes and renewed their vehicle registrations through their county tax office while we were closed should have their new registrations and decals in hand by next Friday, August 23,” DMV Deputy Director David Burgis said. “We are running our system around the clock to try to eliminate this backlog as quickly as possible.”

DMV has notified the Highway Patrol and local law enforcement of this delay in processing registration renewals. Law enforcement in Georgia and North Carolina also have been notified of this situation. Customers who have paid their property taxes but not yet received their new registration cards and decals are encouraged to carry their validated tax receipts in their vehicles to present to law enforcement as evidence of registration renewal. South Carolina law (SC Code of Laws Section 56-3-840) does not provide for any legal penalties if a vehicle registration has been expired for less than 30 days.

The Division of Motor Vehicles is a division of the South Carolina Department of Public Safety, which also includes the Criminal Justice Academy, Highway Patrol, Office of Highway Safety, State Transport Police, Bureau of Protective Services and Office of Justice Programs. DPS has  more than 2,600 employees in offices statewide. Our mission is to ensure public safety by protecting and serving the people of South Carolina and its visitors.

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 JB/104/2002

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